Vattenfall Puts Bird Monitoring on Radar

The next phase of environmental research at the European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre (EOWDC) off the Aberdeenshire coast is scheduled to start next week after Vattenfall appointed a Scottish specialist to carry out the studies.

The Edinburgh-based team of RPS Consulting and Danish-based DHI Group will deploy radar-camera based digital technology to monitor the flight patterns and responses of gannet, kittiwake and large gulls flying during the summer breeding season through and close to EOWDC.

Mike Armitage, Technical Director with RPS, said: “The high-performance radar system, communicating digitally with long-range pan tilt cameras installed at the base of the turbine, will collect three-dimensional radar tracks as well as video footage of birds moving through the wind farm. This cutting edge technology ensures that specific species, flight height as well as their individual and group behaviour can be identified, throughout the wind farm during its operation.”

The research, believed to be a world-first, is funded by the test and demonstration facility’s EUR 3 million Scientific Research and Monitoring Programme. The study was selected in collaboration with an expert panel of key stakeholders including RSPB Scotland, the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, Marine Scotland and Scottish Natural Heritage.

Chris Jackson, Senior Environmental Specialist at Vattenfall, said: “Vattenfall encourages and enables research and development to support the continued growth of the offshore wind industry. The EOWDC, with its focus on innovation and research, is the perfect place to do it. The evidence gathered by this research will help decision makers to support the sustainable growth of the offshore wind industry, which is particularly important at a time when the sector is readying itself for rapid expansion.”

The 93.2MW EOWDC comprises nine MHI Vestas 8.4MW turbines and two MHI Vestas turbines with a record-breaking capacity of 8.8MW. The wind farm has been fully operational since September 2018.